INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) will vote on three new rules at its next meeting later this month. BOAH will have its quarterly meeting at 9:30 a.m., Jan. 19 at its office at 805 Beachway Drive in Indianapolis.

The board will consider:

•A rule clarifying requirements for identification and certification of veterinary inspection for sheep and goats moving into Indiana

•A rule reducing the time period following a whole-herd tuberculosis test from six months to 60 days for animals being moved into Indiana from specific areas of the country

•A rule establishing procedures for condemnation, indemnity and disposition of animals related to a disease control or eradication effort

In his quarterly newsletter, Indiana State Veterinarian Dr. Bret Marsh said BOAH is working to update the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). BOAH has partnered with GlobalVetLink to provide electronic health certificates for Hoosier veterinarians.

“In this day and age the quest for better, faster and more accurate applies to nearly everything - particularly veterinary medicine,” Marsh wrote in his newsletter. “With the transportation of livestock becoming more common, be it for exhibition, pleasure or sale, BOAH is always searching for new ways to simplify the veterinarian’s role in this process.”

GlobalVetLink is accessible through a secure web-based system. To ensure security, the system requires each practitioner with USDA-APHIS federal accreditation to register for a secure user ID and password. This secure server is managed and maintained daily, making information updates and data changes more efficient.

“The system is an improved service to practicing veterinarians and their clients, and one that will assist our collaborative efforts in responding to animal health issues through expedient data analysis,” Marsh said. “I anticipate the GVL program being up and running by early 2006.”

For more information about BOAH’s next meeting for the electronic CVI, call 317-227-0308.